As medical marijuana availability moves closer to becoming a reality in Georgia, a majority of polled Georgia voters support medical marijuana, while a growing number want recreational legalization.
According to a poll by The Atlanta-Journal Constitution and the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs, around 53% of surveyed Georgians said marijuana should be legal for adults -- a substantial increase from their 2017 results.
In 2017, 46% of participants answered in favor of marijuana legalization when asked a similar question. The pollsters attribute the difference to changing public opinion following Georgia’s legalization of low-dose medical marijuana oil in 2015.
Around 76% of polled Georgians, 23% more than participants who were in favor of total legalization among adults, said medical marijuana should be fully legalized.
While using low-THC medical marijuana oil has been legal since 2015, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission approved a set of rules for testing, inspecting, and distribution of medical marijuana on Wednesday. Despite Georgia legalizing medical marijuana use in 2015, registered patients have not had a way to legally purchase the medicine. The commission’s vote allows dispensaries to open as soon as this Spring.
The poll surveyed 860 registered Georgia voters and had a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.